Broke-Ass Stuart's Goddamn Websitehttp://brokeassstuart.com
We write for busboys, poets, social workers, students, artists, musicians, magicians, mathematicians, maniacs, yodelers and everyone else out there who wants to enjoy life not as a rich person, but as a real person. Namely, we write for you.Fri, 09 Dec 2016 21:42:05 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.3.1Broke-assStuartsGoddamnWebsitehttps://feedburner.google.comInterview w/ Community Arts Stabilization Trust Director Moy Enghttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Broke-assStuartsGoddamnWebsite/~3/qNotSGlefm8/
http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/09/interview-with-community-arts-stabilization-trust-director-moy-eng/#commentsFri, 09 Dec 2016 21:32:32 +0000http://brokeassstuart.com/?p=104520Looking for answers to the affordable housing crisis we spoke to an expert on preserving safe, legal, and permanent spaces for artists. C.A.S.T is the nonprofit that preserved SF Luggage Store Gallery and got the creative incubator known as CounterPulse a permanent spot.

]]>These are troubled times for artists in the big city. Following the fire at the Ghostship artist collective in Oakland which claimed the lives of 36 people, a community is reeling, people are scrambling to help, grieve and search for answers.

This awful accident has brought national attention to the lack of affordable and safe housing in our cities. On one hand no one can bear to let another fire like this happen and take the lives of more of our citizens, on the other hand, evicting starving artists from unpermitted work and living spaces will only cause more pain and distress in our communities. Displacement is not the answer, and landlords have begun evictions already.

With these thoughts in mind, I spoke with a woman who is an expert on preserving safe, legal, and permanent spaces for artists. She is the Executive Director of San Francisco-based Community Arts Stabilization Trust (CAST). A nonprofit that preserved SF Luggage Store Gallery and got the creative incubator known as CounterPulse, a permanent spot.

@LuggageStoreGallery sustainable wall at 1007 Market.

CAST along with NCCLF are the organizations responsible for organizing the 1.7 Million dollars of arts funding that the Mayor of Oakland announced this week through Philanthropic funding from the Kenneth Rainin and Hewlett Foundations. The fund is called Keeping Space – Oakland and it is dedicated to technical and financial assistance for Oakland arts and culture organizations that are facing displacement. Keeping Space will offer grants up to $75,000 to help at-risk organizations acquire real estate to serve as permanent art spaces. This grant money is for organizations that are incorporated or who a fiscally sponsored project of a tax-exempt corporation.

If you are independent, or simply part of an unofficial collective you are much more alone. This is part of what I wanted to talk about with CAST. About finding solutions for the artists community out there who may have no organization to turn to. Who live in unsafe or unpermitted conditions not because they want to skirt the law, but because the housing crisis and cost of living has forced their hand.

Oakland officials, landlords & the arts community have work to do to resolve this crisis.

Interview with Moy Eng, Exec Dir of CAST

BAS: In light of recent events, namely the Ghost Ship fire in Oakland, many artists are afraid. Afraid that the collectives they live in aren’t safe, but also, and maybe more so, afraid that the city is going to send out their goons to evict them. (A perfect example of this is the closure of well known artists collective in Baltimore)

Moy Eng: This was a horrific fire, The victims of the tragedy and the community at large are still grieving and dealing with the enormous impacts of it. I can’t imagine what the families are going through or the first responders, who had to go in there and do their grim jobs. We need time to grieve. There is also understandable fervor and fury, calling for the city of Oakland to act to enforce codes and improve the safety of live/work arts spaces, and that may of course lead to more displacement of artists. We have to buy time to figure out a thoughtful path forward, and solutions that take into account safety, affordability and the creative communities’ needs.

B.A.S: So much of the funding is going to property for galleries and for work spaces which is great, but what about housing for artists themselves? What is being done make sure artists can actually live in the bay area?

M.E.: That’s a great question, which is salient in this situation, the question of housing has never been far from the conversation inside CAST, you need artists who live and work in the city. Where we are all at now is a catalytic moment, because of the horrific tragedy. It brings up the needs of artists, and this may be a moment to bring together the private and public sectors to address safe, affordable housing for artists specifically.

I’m starting to hear about landlords who are serving eviction notices in warehouses, which would make a tragic situation even worse – our friends and colleagues becoming homeless without clear possibilities of finding long term, affordable, housing.

So how do we begin this process, what are examples of concrete steps to take to bring real, long term housing to creatives?

It might be helpful to bring together city officials, non-profits and artists in a coordinated forum to find a path for live/work places that are up to code or can be brought up to code. That’s the fire department, planning and building agencies, cultural policy experts, and artists and arts organizations, as well as the building and real estate community. And last but not least, the philanthropic community, Together we can raise the level of safety and foster what we need: safe, affordable spaces to maintain cultural soul of Oakland.

Moy Eng. Photo: mercurynews.com

This will be private money that artists rely on, philanthropic orgs who foot the bill, and not public money?

I hope it will be both. I hope we have a moment to take a coordinated response to elevate the need for safety, urban planning and fire safety in a way that is more nuanced, so that it truly supports the creative community.

What about the idea of sending in safety inspectors to help artists collectives without fear of retribution? Just like how we want ‘illegal aliens’ to feel safe calling the police without fear of being deported, can we have a constructive way to help artists be safe without throwing them on the street?

If you send in a city official, they may have to close an unsafe building simply as part of their jobs. Maybe there could an amnesty period of time, where artist tenants and landlords can get rezoned or brought up to date on code requirements without punishment.

But, as of today, the city of Oakland hasn’t sent out an enforcement team (in oak & sf) so that tells us something, it signals to me/us they are thinking about the right steps forward before just acting hastily.

We, like you, are concerned about artist safety. While we cannot bear another tragedy like Ghost Ship in Oakland, we also hate the idea of more artists being displaced if there are wide government crackdowns in artists collectives and the underground scene. Forcing more artists on to the streets and out of the bay is not the answer.

I agree with you, we have to take a breath, grieve, and do some thoughtful thinking about the way forward. The answer is in creating and preserving long term, permanent, affordable real estate for arts organizations and artists. I am a pragmatic optimist; I believe we can find thoughtful ways to preserve our creative community going forward.

Why is art important to the bay area?
Arts and culture are at the heart of any city or community, . and is distinctive to each city. And, this distinctive arts and culture component is what attracts people to live and work in a particular city or community and what inspires them.

CAST is a non-profit that helps to buy buildings for arts organizations thereby preserving places for arts organizations to exist correct?

Yes

I heard some big, evil, developer was going to buy up the building that the Luggage Store Gallery was in, and CAST swooped in and saved the day, care to comment?

(laughs) What CAST did was purchase the building at 1006 Market St. in which Luggage Store Gallery is housed, using funds provided by the Kenneth Rainin Foundation. We also purchased the new building at 80 Turk Street, which now houses CounterPulse at the same time. What we do is bring together proven models and strategies in creating affordable space from other sectors and use them to preserve space for creative organizations. In a sense, we are trying to break the intractible cycle of displacement that occurs when real estate prices go way up.

So how does that work for the Luggage Store? Do they own the building now? ( a legendary sf space for art in the heart of san Francisco)

What we did was purchase the entire building. We then worked with Luggage Store Gallery in renovating its building; provided a below market rate lease and 7 years to raise the money it would cost for Luggage Store Gallery to buy the building themselves. It enables CAST to take a building off the market, freeze the price, and give time for arts organizations like Luggage Store a chance to acquire a permanent home.

]]>http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/09/interview-with-community-arts-stabilization-trust-director-moy-eng/feed/0http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/09/interview-with-community-arts-stabilization-trust-director-moy-eng/Housing Law That Protects Artists is Needed Now in the Bay Areahttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Broke-assStuartsGoddamnWebsite/~3/gapJOGnOZmU/
http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/09/housing-law-that-protects-artists-is-needed-now-in-the-bay-area/#commentsFri, 09 Dec 2016 18:45:42 +0000http://brokeassstuart.com/?p=104512The tragedy in Oakland has caused tremendous pain, loss, and fear. In its wake, the artistic communities both in the Bay Area and abroad morn the brutal loss of life and also fear for the future. Artist collectives in the Bay Area and across the United States have come under threat

Accross the country city municipalities are cracking down on artist work spaces. For example this week Baltimore city officials evicted dozens of artists in reaction to the Oakland fire. Image: The Baltimore Sun

In Oakland the pressure is building, many tenants who have not yet had time to grieve have already been vistited by city officials asking about their permititng and in many cases landlords have simply served eviction notices out of fear or self interest.

Landlords and city officials are right to fear another tragedy due to unsafe living conditions in buildings sometimes not zoned or permited for work/living situations. But we should not react thoughtlessly. Evicting more artists and Oakland residents in general will not solve this problem or bring any of the victims back. It will only cause more pain in the community.

Thankfully, Oakland has politicians who value the artistic community and recognize how important creative people are to the culture and vibrancy of a city. On Thursday the Oakland City Counsil finished declaring a state of emergency in Oakland thereby applying for relief funds from state and federal agencies. At this council meeting many members of the Oakland community voiced their concerns about displacement. You can watch the entire counsil meeting here.

Council President Lynette Gibson McElhaney on Dec 8th 2016

Council President Lynette Gibson McElhaney assured those in attendance that the council was NOT “looking to bring down the hammer and cause mass evictions” but rather the city was looking for ways to work with tenants and landlords to help the situation. To make the city permitting system more approachable, and to look at legislation that has worked in the past in similar housing crisis. Namely the NY Loft Laws. Laws that were instrumental to protecting New York’s creative spaces in the past. These were wise and reassuring words.

Vice Mayor Annie Campbell Washington had strong words in support of the artistic community, she said, “I choose to believe we can preserve our artists here in Oakland, that we can preserve your housing, that we can preserve your spaces…I don’t know what we are able to say to today to allay all your fears…but I believe we will do this hard work to preserve the artistic community of Oakland.”

When you hear the things that McElhaney & Washington expressed, you thank your stars you live in a culturally enlightened place like the Bay Area. But we still need to push for immidiate change, they certainly can’t do it alone.

The New York Loft Laws are fairly simple, and should be tailored to fit both Oakland and San Francisco law. If you are a tenant in a building that qualifies in their model, the benefits are very clear:

you’ll no longer be at risk of being vacated for illegal residency by the DOB

you’ll be able to go to Housing Court if there are any problems with the building

you’ll have the right to sell your Loft Law rights – your landlord has to buy you out if he wants to avoid rent stabilization for the unit, and both of you must agree to the dollar amount

if your landlord sells the building you keep all these benefits with the new landlord.

There is a wonderful breakdown the NY model on nyclofttenants.org. It explains requirements, benefits, and the application process in the NY model. We think our government legislators, landlords, and the artistic community should take a look at it too.

We will have more on how the community is organizing to help this situation in meaningful ways going forward. Meanwhile, if you have the means, here is a link to donate to the Fire Relief Fund for Victims of Ghostship Oakland Fire organized by the Gray Area Foundation for the Arts non-profit

]]>http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/09/housing-law-that-protects-artists-is-needed-now-in-the-bay-area/feed/0http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/09/housing-law-that-protects-artists-is-needed-now-in-the-bay-area/OAKLAND UNITED: A BENEFIT SUPPORTING OAKLAND FIRE RELIEFhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Broke-assStuartsGoddamnWebsite/~3/g46g3Wc7OUM/
http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/08/oakland-united-a-benefit-supporting-oakland-fire-relief/#commentsFri, 09 Dec 2016 04:46:00 +0000http://brokeassstuart.com/?p=104501PRIMUS, TYCHO, TUNE-YARDS, HIEROGLYPHICS, DAN DEACON AND MORE THE FOX THEATER IN OAKLAND ON DECEMBER 14 FOR A NIGHT OF REMEMBRANCE AND COMMUNITY Tickets Are On Sale Friday, December 9 At 12:00 P.M. PT At Ticketmaster.com Bay Area promoters, Noise Pop and Another Planet Entertainment, along with Paradigm Agency’s Oakland

Bay Area promoters, Noise Pop and Another Planet Entertainment, along with Paradigm Agency’s Oakland office are organizing a benefit show at the Fox Theater in Oakland on Wednesday, December 14 for the Oakland Fire Relief Effort. There will be performances and stories from musicians and journalists, all of which have connections to either the Bay Area music scene or various warehouse/DIY scenes. All proceeds for the benefit will go to the Gray Area Foundation For The Arts Oakland Fire Relief Fund.

The evening will be hosted by Josette Melchor of the Gray Area Foundation For The Arts, which started a fund shortly after the tragedy and has collected over $500,000 to date. The fund is collaborating closely with the Oakland Mayor’s Office and the Red Cross as well as getting guidance from local arts institutions. The immediate needs of fire victims will be the fund’s priority with the Red Cross as the first point of contact for allocation of the funds received from the Oakland Sports Teams funds. Gray Area will be second point of contact after that and are working on a system for intake. When the immediate needs of families are resolved, Gray Area will be turning their attention to longer-term issues of safety and resilience across the larger creative community, applying efforts to ensure this tragedy is not repeated.

“It is unfortunate that it takes a tragedy to shed light on a broader situation around the need for safe venues for artists, musicians, and creatives in the Bay Area,” said Josette Melchor, Executive Director and Founder of Gray Area Foundation For The Arts. “We will continue to increase this goal as support comes in. We want this funding to stay in the community that was impacted.”

OAKLAND UNITED – LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS:

Boots Riley (The Coup)

Christopher Willits

Dan Deacon

Gabe Meline (KQED)

Geographer

Hieroglyphics

Jay Som

Josette Melchor (Gray Area)

Primus

Rogue Wave

Sam Lefebvre (Pitchfork/East Bay Express)

Sidecar Tommy (Beats Antique)

Thao Nguyen

Tune-Yards

Tycho

* and many more to be announced

The official hashtag for this special event is #OaklandUnited. Artwork was created by ISO50/Tycho.

]]>http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/08/oakland-united-a-benefit-supporting-oakland-fire-relief/feed/0http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/08/oakland-united-a-benefit-supporting-oakland-fire-relief/The Dirtbag Motorcycle Challenge in Hunters Pointhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Broke-assStuartsGoddamnWebsite/~3/nJrsYvdhZmU/
http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/08/the-sf-motorcycle-dirtbag-challenge/#commentsThu, 08 Dec 2016 18:22:06 +0000http://brokeassstuart.com/?p=104467The 2016 Dirtbag Challenge ended in a San Francisco street party with bikers, bands, burnouts, beer, and even a little bbq. On a normally quiet, industrial road in Hunters Point they gathered to celebrate the return of the 2016 competitors

The 2016 Dirtbag Challenge ended in a San Francisco street party with bikers, bands, burnouts, beer, and even a little bbq. On a normally quiet, industrial road in Hunters Point they gathered to celebrate the return of the 2016 competitors. The challenge? To build a motorcycle in 30 days for less than $1,000…that would ride at least 90 miles. Apparently this year they rode to Calistoga and back, and bike lovers from all over the bay showed up to welcome them home.

The only merch they were selling were tshirts from the 2015 challenge, which of course is awesome.

The Dirtbag organizer Poll Brown rode into the party on his motorcycle, he rode through the crowd and practically up to the stage where he proceeded to lay down rubber. I don’t know much about motorcycle parties but I imagine that is how the host is supposed to arrive. A friend tells me Poll’s been organizing the challenge for more than 10 years and he chooses a random starting time each year so no one can get a head start on building their bike. The only other rule is “No Harleys” which from what I understand is like having a “No Budweiser” rule at a beer drinking party.

I was one of the few in attendance who wasn’t wearing leather or a patch, but in typical SF fashion, nobody gave a shit. It didn’t seem to matter whether you were SF motorcycle Club (since 1904) the Motorcycle & Misfits from Santa Cruz (checkout there biker podcast), The East Bay Rats, The Pacific Savagez, The Blue Meanies, (or any number of clubs in attendance) or if you were just a motorhead, everyone chilled together in the streets, BYOB. And that includes babies wearing ear muffs, or infants on mini bikes.

Later in the night I’m told they give out prizes for the best dirtbag bikes, categories are things like cleverest, prettiest, sketchiest, coolest ect. And the trophies themselves are works of art – motorcycle helmets with blade saws attached or other painted or sculpted biker gear.

One of the Bands names was “Butt Problems” pictured here) so naturally we included them

Are you a dirtbag living on the East Coast? You’re in luck! “After 13 years of San Francisco Dirtbags, they are bringing the challenge to the mean streets of NYC. So, raid the garage, dumpsters, your neighbors yard. do what you have to do and get to building a bike for the first annual”NYC DBC.

]]>http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/08/the-sf-motorcycle-dirtbag-challenge/feed/0http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/08/the-sf-motorcycle-dirtbag-challenge/The Future of Healthcare in the Trump Erahttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Broke-assStuartsGoddamnWebsite/~3/Gwn-z8gWgwI/
http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/08/the-future-of-healthcare-in-the-trump-era/#commentsThu, 08 Dec 2016 16:15:13 +0000http://brokeassstuart.com/?p=104456 By Melissa Davidson @madtris Many people are concerned about what the new administration will do with our healthcare system. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to “repeal and replace” Obamacare, but even Trump himself realizes it’s easier to repeal and not so easy to replace. Americans are navigating the fact

Many people are concerned about what the new administration will do with our healthcare system. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to “repeal and replace” Obamacare, but even Trump himself realizes it’s easier to repeal and not so easy to replace.

Americans are navigating the fact that no one can predict exactly what Trump will do with the Affordable Care Act, (commonly known as Obamacare) when he officially takes office. Whether you’re for it or against it, uncertainty isn’t a great feeling.

Obamacare has been a contentious topic from the outset, and a Gallup poll conducted after the election confirms that more Americans disapprove than approve the ACA – 53% oppose the law and 42% approve of it.

www.gallup.com

The vast majority of Americans want to see the law changed, including 37% who want it repealed and replaced, and 43% who want to keep the law but with major changes, according to Gallup.

President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act on March 23, 2010, enacting comprehensive health care and insurance reforms. On June 28, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ACA.

Republicans have said that passing a replacement bill could take up to two years. If Obamacare is repealed, up to 20 million American could lose coverage.

Trump has said he wants to keep the provisions that cover pre-existing medical conditions and adult dependents up to 26 years old.

According to an article by CNN last week, despite Trump’s and Republican parties stated intentions of pulling the plug on Obamacare, it’s unlikely to happen given the probable filibuster by Senate Democrats.

A professor at Columbia University said he thinks Obamacare will undergo big changes with Republicans repealing portions of the law through the budget reconciliation process, which cannot be filibustered.

What Trumpcare means for 2017 health insurance plans

Should you still enroll for Obamacare in 2017? Yes. The open enrollment deadline is January 31. You aren’t locked into a plan if the government changes it after the first of the year, but you will still face a tax penalty if you don’t enroll.

Subsidies are still available for people who meet the criteria with most people paying about $100 a month, according to HealthMarkets insurance agency.

Replacing a health care system takes time and work. It’s also very expensive. The Commonwealth Fund estimated that it could increase the Federal budget deficit by between $330 billion to $550 billion over 10 years.

]]>http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/08/the-future-of-healthcare-in-the-trump-era/feed/0http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/08/the-future-of-healthcare-in-the-trump-era/We wanna send you +1 to see Jonathan Richman!http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Broke-assStuartsGoddamnWebsite/~3/6rYKYXgASxw/
http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/07/we-wanna-send-you-1-to-see-jonathan-richman/#commentsThu, 08 Dec 2016 07:56:33 +0000http://brokeassstuart.com/?p=104451Richman formed the Modern Lovers, a proto-punk garage rock band from Boston. The band contained notable drummer David Robinson, who later joined Talking Heads and the Cars. But, that’s probably not where you’d recognize him first. It was a key part in the Farrelly Brothers’ 1998 film There’s Something About

Richman formed the Modern Lovers, a proto-punk garage rock band from Boston. The band contained notable drummer David Robinson, who later joined Talking Heads and the Cars. But, that’s probably not where you’d recognize him first. It was a key part in the Farrelly Brothers’ 1998 film There’s Something About Mary, where he played half of a two-man Greek chorus with drummer Tommy Larkins, that commented on the plot while performing in the framed action itself. He also appeared briefly in a bar scene in a previous Farrelly Brothers film, Kingpin.

]]>http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/07/we-wanna-send-you-1-to-see-jonathan-richman/feed/0http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/07/we-wanna-send-you-1-to-see-jonathan-richman/Newspaper Stealing Facebook Updates About Oakland Fire and Publishing Themhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Broke-assStuartsGoddamnWebsite/~3/jnXic9rN-zs/
http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/07/newspaper-stealing-facebook-updates-about-oakland-fire-and-publishing-them/#commentsWed, 07 Dec 2016 22:06:55 +0000http://brokeassstuart.com/?p=104438I don’t think that there is anyone who has been part of a music, art or theater scene – anywhere – who has not been shaken to the bones by the senseless tragedy that occurred at the Oakland Ghost Ship late Friday and in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Headline from the article in which they stole mourners’ Facebook updates.

I don’t think that there is anyone who has been part of a music, art or theater scene – anywhere – who has not been shaken to the bones by the senseless tragedy that occurred at the Oakland Ghost Ship late Friday and in the early hours of Saturday morning.

As the death toll rises and the dead are publicly identified, it would make sense that those of us connected to the victims and the community would take to social media to comfort each other.

We post tributes and pictures and memories of times past across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, blogs… we cry out virtually and hug virtually and try to console virtually.

But as we do this, we need to beware.

We need to know that there are vultures already circling this tragedy. The media, specifically online media and tabloid media, are patrolling the Internet for any mention of those confirmed dead or those still unaccounted for on social media… and, they are stealing our words.

How do I know this? It happened to me. One of the largest media outlets in the world, the second largest in the U.K. – The Daily Mail – a behemoth of an organization with 1.5 million physical subscribers and 199.4 million yearly online readers ganked a comment about one of the Ghost Ship victims from my Facebook page and published it without my permission. For a profit.

Denalda Nicole Renae, aged 29, has now been confirmed by the Oakland Coroner’s office as one of the 36 people who died in this horrible fire. When I knew her, she went by Nicole Siegrest and her performance name was Sea Crust. In 2012, I was her manager at a company where she taught sushi making. On the side, she performed as “Sea Crust, “ a feisty feminist raps who made sick beats on her synthesizer. I was very fond of Nicole. She was bright and talented and funny and never failed to make me smile, even when I was having a no-good, very bad day. She worked for us for about six months and then decided she wanted to go to the West Coast and get serious about her music career. She bounced around for a while, having some adventures, but eventually settled in The Bay Area – where her music career really took off.

When I learned that Nicole was among the missing, I – of course, posted on social media to alert our other friends in Chicago that something had happened to her. As we had mutual friends in the Bay Area (where I lived for nearly 10 years,) I reached out to friends posting about the tragedy to see if they had any news about her. As we all came to the conclusion that Nicole and her bandmate, Ben Runnels (aka, Charlie Prowler) were most likely amongst the dead – we mourned together on the only platform where we all – so spread out across the country now – could: Facebook. I even wrote a blog post memorializing Nicole and musing on the fleetingness of life and the impact of death on my personal blog.

It was raw. Personal. Sad.

So imagine my surprise when I discovered that the second biggest news outlet in the U.K., one of the biggest online media outlets in the world, had copied and pasted my comment about Nicole into their article about the Oakland fire.

Yesterday, I did a Google search for Nicole’s name to see if her body had been positively identified yet and if there were memorial plans (as I wanted to know where to send a card to her mother.) What I found was this:
The Daily Mail U.K. – “Talented musicians, a young student and a trans activist are among 27 reported dead as family of missing revelers endure agonizing wait after authorities recover 36 bodies from warehouse blaze” Read more here.

As I scrolled through the article, trying to find information on Nicole, I was shocked to learn that I had been quoted by The Daily Mail without my permission:

“Denalda, of Oakland, described herself on Facebook as the synth player for Introflirt and ‘lyric wrangler’ for Vanfanthon band. She was also a sushi instructor at IWish Lessons between 2010 and 2012 according to friends.

Kate Rice described her as ‘an incredibly free spirit and just wanted to make music and art.’

‘She bounced around for a while, but found her Tribe in the Bay Area. Such a vibrant light has been senselessly snuffed out. Poor poor Nicole. I am in shock and so sad.’“

The way this is phrased makes it seem like The Daily Mail contacted me and asked me for a comment. It also makes it seem like I willingly commented to media about the death of someone who, while I was very fond of, was a friend I hadn’t seen in real life in over four years. Which, in turn, could be viewed as my trying to capitalize on this tragedy. Which is gross.

This quote was lifted from my “friends only” Facebook post, in which several of us commenting tagged Nicole (so the posts would appear on her page amongst the other tributes by friends and family) – not at all thinking a news source would gank quotes out of it without asking permission first:

My Facebook comment.

The Daily Mail quote pulled without permission

Now, The Daily Mail is hardly known for their “journalistic ethics.” And, if you examine this article closely, you’ll note that they also lifted content from several other Facebook accounts with out permission and articles (including ones in the East Bay Times and SFGate) without attribution.

In my opinion, however, the theft of social media posts from friends and family mourning loved ones is particularly repugnant and ghoulish.

One might argue that anything publicly posted on social media is open for pilfering. But, I counter that in a sensitive situation like this one is, that the rush to publish needs to be postponed and permission to quote the source needs to be obtained.

Really it should be obtained in all circumstances… if you’re going to call yourself a journalist.

What the Daily Mail did is neither ethical or morally right.

Please let my example serve as a warning to us all: Vultures are circling this tragedy and they are stealing our words to profit upon our mourning. Be wary and if you see your words used without your permission in the press, say something and publicly shame the outlet in question.

For those quoted without permission in The Daily Mail article: I encourage you to make a formal complaint to the editorial board of the publication, like I am going to do.

We must have each other’s backs in this situation, especially those close to the victims of the fire. We must not let the vultures of tabloid or “fast” online media capitalize and profit on their genuine grief and distress. If there is a time to circle the wagons and show our strength as a community, this is surely one of them.

]]>http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/07/newspaper-stealing-facebook-updates-about-oakland-fire-and-publishing-them/feed/0http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/07/newspaper-stealing-facebook-updates-about-oakland-fire-and-publishing-them/Win an Oakland Beer Passport!!http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Broke-assStuartsGoddamnWebsite/~3/86cV2TdGY9k/
http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/07/win-an-oakland-beer-passport/#commentsWed, 07 Dec 2016 20:23:19 +0000http://brokeassstuart.com/?p=104435Step into a world of adventure with the Oakland Beer Passport. There’s no better way to explore Oakland than to literally drink it in. This passport is amazing, you get 22 beers at 22 bars for $30. The only way it gets better than that is if you win one and get the passport fore free!

Step into a world of adventure with the Oakland Beer Passport. There’s no better way to explore Oakland than to literally drink it in. This passport is amazing, you get 22 beers at 22 bars for $30. The only way it gets better than that is if you win one and get the passport fore free!

How does the Oakland Beer Passport work? I’m glad you asked. You start by buying one here. Then inside are coupons to 22 different bars. Take the coupon to the bar and exchange it for a beer!. And the best part: the Oakland Passport is only $30! That’s $1.36 per beer! It’s almost like magic.

Just look at this lineup of bars:

And the passport looks amazing because it was designed but The Barbary Co!

See you out in the bars fellow intrepid adventurers.

We are also doing a sale on the SF Appetizer Passport since the coupons are only good till the end of the year. Get yours here for only $10!

]]>http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/07/win-an-oakland-beer-passport/feed/0http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/07/win-an-oakland-beer-passport/We wanna send you to see Mos Def and Reggie Watts!http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Broke-assStuartsGoddamnWebsite/~3/8i9iX8lzrTU/
http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/07/we-wanna-send-you-to-see-mos-def-and-reggie-watts/#commentsWed, 07 Dec 2016 19:55:17 +0000http://brokeassstuart.com/?p=104431You have 24 hours to enter our MosDef/Yasiin Bey/Called Earth with Reggie Watts giveaway. We love Reggie Watts and you should too! Reggie Watts is an internationally renowned vocal artist/ beatboxer/ musician/ comedian who wows audiences with his live performances which are 100% improvised. Using his formidable voice, looping pedals, and

You have 24 hours to enter our MosDef/Yasiin Bey/Called Earth with Reggie Watts giveaway. We love Reggie Watts and you should too! Reggie Watts is an internationally renowned vocal artist/ beatboxer/ musician/ comedian who wows audiences with his live performances which are 100% improvised. Using his formidable voice, looping pedals, and his vast imagination, Reggie blends and blurs the lines between music and comedy. No two performances are the same and to that end, “genius” is the word most often used to describe Reggie Watts. LA Weekly crowned him “the most wildly inventive new talent of the past five years” while New York Magazine hailed Reggie as “Spectacularly original,” Rolling Stone featured him as “Hot Comedian,” SPIN named him as “Best New Comedian” and the LA Times praised Reggie is “a superstar.”

]]>http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/07/we-wanna-send-you-to-see-mos-def-and-reggie-watts/feed/0http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/07/we-wanna-send-you-to-see-mos-def-and-reggie-watts/We wanna give you a gift basket of Anchor Beer and Three Twins Ice Cream!http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Broke-assStuartsGoddamnWebsite/~3/J29VOjds1ho/
http://brokeassstuart.com/blog/2016/12/07/we-wanna-give-you-a-gift-basket-of-anchor-beer-guittard-and-three-twins-ice-cream-for-christmas/#commentsWed, 07 Dec 2016 19:12:58 +0000http://brokeassstuart.com/?p=104428And some other stuff. Also, some of the items won’t physically be inside the basket. And there may or may not be an actual basket. It’s more of a collection of items that we got together and thought you might like to consume (or re-gift) for Christmas. We’re hoping we’ll put

And some other stuff. Also, some of the items won’t physically be inside the basket. And there may or may not be an actual basket. It’s more of a collection of items that we got together and thought you might like to consume (or re-gift) for Christmas. We’re hoping we’ll put a smile on the face of someone who cannot afford these items usually.

Magnum of Anchor Brewing Christmas Ale:Any true beer aficionado grabs a magnum of Anchor’s Christmas ale and knows to expect something different every year. That’s one of the true joys of their Christmas ale, it reminds you that beer (like bread) is a true living thing. It can be hit or miss; one year you may love it, the next year you dislike it greatly. But, it’s never so horrible that you won’t be back for more. “A deliciously smooth winter warmer with notes of seasonal spices and a malty backbone, our 2016 Christmas Ale marks the 42nd annual release of this celebrated Anchor tradition.”

Guittard Grand Cacao Drinking Chocolate: Before the Valhrona bus came into town as the pinkies up chocolate of choice, pastry chefs were using Guittard. A San Francisco business since 1868, this chocolate is not just valued for being a local company, its valued for its consistent great quality. There’s always Guittard in my kitchen, sorry to my other half whose roots lie deep within Ghirardelli.